Yearly Archives: 2022

Culture

The most iconic paintings of the Philippines

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Artists can accomplish a great deal through the medium of painting. Expressing their feelings, communicating ideas, even igniting social change. The possibilities seem endless. A country’s culture, and history can be seen reflected in these works of art.

The Philippines has been home to many gifted and famous artists. Their paintings are unlike those found anywhere else. They can be appreciated on a purely aesthetic level. But on another level, they reveal aspects of Philippine culture and history that have influenced modern life. They become a window into the life and culture of our ancestors. Here we will look at some of the countries greatest artists and their artwork..

1. “Granadean Arabesque” by Jose Tanig Joya (1958)

The “Granadean Arabesque,” is a staple of the Philippine art world, created by the well-known Filipino painter and Artist Jose Joya. This is an example of horizontal Philippine abstract art on a large scale, standing at 305 cm by 118 cm. It features a variety of yellow tones, sweeping brushstrokes, and an impasto medium made with sand.

Joya was a pioneer in developing modern Filipino paintings and art in the Philippines, and this masterwork exemplifies the breadth and depth of her talent as a mixed-media artist.

Joya was instrumental in the Philippines debut at the world’s longest-running international cultural exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia. This is a prestigious place for visual art and the worldwide avant-garde to showcase their works. In 1964, the Granadean Arabesque was one of the works of Joya on display to represent the country.

Granadean Arabesque is undoubtedly one of the most well-known paintings to come out of the Philippines.

2. “La Laguna Estigia” by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo (1887)

It is generally agreed that Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo was one of the most significant painters to emerge from the Philippines in the latter half of the 19th century. La Laguna Estigia, often known as The River Styx or just The Styx, is a Greco-Roman piece inspired by Dante Alighieri’s epic poem “Inferno,” written in the 14th century.

The poem “Inferno” is about a voyage through hell, and hell is portrayed in the poem as having nine concentric circles, each of which represents a different level of depravity and wickedness.

The putrid waters of the river Styx serve as the setting for the fifth and last level of Hell, which is referred to as the Circle of Wrath. This artwork by Hidalgo depicts a darker and more cryptic rendition of the poem “Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri.

The painting is one half of a pair, the other being titled “La barca de Aqueronte,” and both were created simultaneously. During the National Exhibition of the Philippines in Madrid in 1887, it was awarded the silver medal.

3. “Planting Rice” by Fernando Amorsolo (1949)

The entrance of American colonists sparked a fresh wave of nationalism in Philippine society, which may be seen most clearly in the work of Fernando Amorsolo.  The period’s artwork centred on depictions of traditional folk settings as a vehicle for expressing an idealised feeling of nationhood.

Amorsolo presented motifs which portrayed sights common to the Philippines. This included depictions of Filipinos taking part in common hobbies and customs, as well as partaking in work such as farming activities.

In hindsight, some historians have concluded that Amorsolo’s paintings mirrored the people’s yearning to escape from a complicated reality into simplicity. In contrast, others have claimed that his paintings depicted an idealised picture of life during those times.

4. “Spoliarium” by Juan Luna (1884)

Juan Luna’s oil on canvas painting Spoliarium offers a glimpse into the history of Rome and the horrific effects of the gladiator bouts it depicts. The painting’s subject matter centres on the realities behind the battles between gladiators.

The picture shows Roman troops dragging dying gladiators away from the arena. The phrase “Spoliarium” is a Latin word that refers to the location of the Roman Colosseum that was used to discard the bodies of slain gladiators.

Luna created a distinction between the two sides of the painting by depicting individuals on the left side who are excitedly awaiting the battles and people on the right side of the painting lamenting the death of a fallen gladiator.

THe gladiators seem somewhat exposed and unheroic. As the painting depicts the men without their uniforms and weapons in a scene of hopelessness.

It is currently on exhibit in the Philippine National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila, Philippines, where it holds the title of the largest painting in the Philippines.

At the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes held in Madrid in 1884, Juan Luna’s painting was awarded the first gold medal he had received for his work. The painting is often credited as being the largest painting in the Philippines.

There is no question that Spoliarium is the most well-known painting ever created by a Filipino artist.

5. “Madonna Of the Slums” by Vicente Manansala (1950)

Vicente Manansala’s masterpiece, “Madonna of the Slums,” was a pivotal work that significantly contributed to developing the Modernist movement in the Philippines.

It focuses on the transition from rural to urban settings. In it, Vicente portrays a mother and her child who recently relocated from the countryside to the city. The story is about the transition from rural to urban settings.

Manansala’s work aimed at enhancing and fostering the national culture, social environment, native identity, and native sensibility. It was noted that his paintings managed to capture both the urban and rural settings inside a single composition.

The painting highlights the uncertainty and anxiety of the time. The Philippines had recently exited the war, and experienced liberation from Japanese occupation. Filipinos were experiencing rampant insecurity in their lives as they moved toward full independence.

The background of this painting demonstrates his method known as “Transparent Cubism,” in which he layers different colours and shapes on top of one another.

Nevertheless, the artwork focuses on the mother cradling her kid to her chest with much affection. The “Madonna of the Slum now resides in The National Museum Collection of the Philippines.

6. “The Musicians” by Vicente Manansala (1973)

Manansala was one of the pioneering abstract artists to emerge from the Philippine art scene. It is also said that Vicente Manansala was responsible for bridging the gap between the metropolis and the suburbs, as well as between rural and cosmopolitan modes of life.

He achieved this by illustrating scenes of contemporary life in the Philippines in an abstract manner. This was a breath of fresh air in the countries traditional art scene.

His artwork references the arrival of American culture by depicting a nation amid change. Manansala masterfully utilises the cubist form, while still respecting the true to life form of the subjects he was painting.

This gives his painting a visually appealing feel. The bright colours and geometric shapes bring life to the academic style of painting common in the Philippines at the time.

7. “Mother Natures Bounty Harvest” by Victorio Edades (1935)

According to historical accounts, Victorio Edades is considered the “father” of modern Philippine art. After completing his education in the United States, he returned home and immediately began developing an innovative approach to the study of art.

His piece “Mother Nature’s Bounty Harvest” was actually a collaboration with Carlos “Botong” Francisco and Galo B. Ocampo. The trio became a force, fuelling the growth of mural painting in the Philippines.

The trio began modernising the Philippines with their public murals. At first, the public did not appreciate this new form of modern art. It was a step away from the traditional style of formulaic, academic art found in the country.

Of the many murals painted by the trio, “Mother Nature’s Bounty Harvest” is one of the few to survive. The painting highlights the relationship Filipinos have with the land, and the joy they receive from the abundance of produce nature affords to them.

8. “The Parisian Life” by Juan Luna (1892)

This impressionist masterwork of Juan Luna was created during his stay in Paris, France. The painting is known as Interior d’un Cafi which literally translates to “Inside a Café”. In contrast to his prior works, “Parisian Life” avoids the intense and dramatic topics he covered during his life as a revolutionary activist.

The painting portrays a “fleeting moment of regular life” that occurred during the author’s time living in Paris in the 1890s. The central figure is an adult female figure wearing a lavender frock. She radiates a feeling of relaxation as she leans back on a bench with a glass of beer in front of her.

But on closer inspection, you will notice three seated on the left-hand side of the painting.

These men were a depiction of three historical figures of the Philippines. Juan Luna himself, as well as Jose Rizal and Ariston Bautista Lin. This foreshadows Luna’s future movements shortly after completing his “Parisian Life” painting. Luna left Paris for the Philippines, he rejoined Rizal and Bautista there to resume his role in the Philippine revolution against Spanish colonialism.

9. “Yellow Confetti” by Benedicto Reyes Cabrera (1984)

The uprising of the everyday FIlipino and the downfall of the dictatorship as a result of the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986 are two significant events that altered the path of Philippine history

Benedicto Cabrera or BenCab was working amid the uproar. Through his controversial piece of art titled “Yellow Confetti,” he managed to embody the civic resistance of Filipinos at the time.

The painting portrays the anger felt by Filipino protesters at the time, as well as the unity of the common Filipino, uniting together to fight for a common cause.

10. “Gathering of Heroes” by Juanito Torres (2017)

Juanito Torres, a modern Filipino artist, is responsible for creating another staple of Philippine art, called “The Gathering of Heroes.”

It is said that the composition of this iconic piece mirrored the structure of an X-Men comic book cover. The painting though, is packed with heroes who have lived and died for the country.

The painting features Andres Bonifacio, Melchora Aquino, Jose Rizal, Antonio Luna, Emilio Jacinto, Emilio Aguinaldo. Many of those figures were instrumental in the Philippine revolutionary movement of the 19th century.

Business

The richest entrepreneurs of the Philippines

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Entrepreneurship is the new in vogue buzzword. Plenty of people talk about entrepreneurship, but few put their words into action. Despite this, there are still innovative Filipinos keeping the ethic of entrepreneurship alive.
 
The Philippines can definitely call itself a hub of entrepreneurs. Its business centres are full of ambitious people working hard to make their big ideas a reality. The provincial business environment has also begun to experience some rapid growth.
 
The countries agricultural sector has begun to open up to new technologies. To improve the nation’s food security, the agricultural sector needs to modernise. The sector has now adopted various measures to increase efficiency. Thus, greatly improving the nation’s crop yields.
 
It’s easy to see how big ideas can not only enrich the individual, but also benefit the country as a whole. Many successful entrepreneurs have helped improve the quality of life of many Filipinos. Having achieved this through the work of their companies.
 
Today we’re going to dig into the details of some successful Filipino entrepreneurs. Seeing the lives of these people in detail can help motivate you to follow in their footsteps.
Henry Sy is the ideal poster boy for entrepreneurship. He faced innumerable challenges in his early life. But he fought to build one of the most iconic brands in the Philippines.

Henry Sy of the SM Group of Companies

Henry Sy Sr. is the founder and chairman of the infamous SM Group of Companies.  A conglomerate, with its bread-and-butter being its chain of supermarkets and department stores. The business then branched out into developing commercial property. SM began building their malls across the country, as well as condominium developments.
 
.Sy also branched off into banking quite early in his career when he acquired Acme Savings Bank. This is now known as Banco De Oro, or BDO, which in terms of its total assets is the biggest bank in the country.
 
SM now operates in more than 1,800 locations, as well as operations in China and Vietnam. It is hard to spend anytime in the Philippines and not be aware of SM, the brand has engulfed the nation.
 
Henry Sy was born in Jinjang, Xiamen, China. He had a somewhat modest upbringing after moving to the Philippines at the age of 12. He helped his father at their general store, selling food and household products. This early exposure to business helped set the foundation for his entrepreneurial journey.
 
During World War II, the store was destroyed during the fall of Manila. As a consequence, the family decided to move back to China, while Sy decided to stay.
 
This is when the SM empire was born. Sy started selling worn G.I. combat boots and other items to American soldiers. Sy created “Shoe mart”, the first shoe store in Manila.
 
Fast-forward to 2012, and his reported net worth is now $14 billion—making him one of the wealthiest individuals in Asia. All as a result of his initial move to start a shoe store.
 
Henry Sy has gained attention on the international stage. He was named by Forbes magazine as both “Asian Entrepreneur of the Year” (2009) and “Manila’s Businessman of the Year” (2013).
 
Sy opened his first shoe store in 1948 with just 24 pairs on display. Today, even after his death in 2019, his legacy is still seen across the country through the SM business empire.

John L. Gokongwei Jr of JG Summit Holding Inc

John L. Gokongwei Jr. is the man behind JG Summit Holdings Inc. This is the business conglomerate which holds some of the biggest names in the country. Some of those names include Cebu Pacific, Robinsons Retail Holdings, and Robinsons Land Corporation, one of the largest real estate companies in the Philippines.

Gokongwei had a somewhat comfortable life during childhood. His father had descended from a wealthy, well-connected Cebu based family. This soon came to an end, when Gokongwei’s father died, and the family lost their fortune.

Gokongwei had little choice but to become the bread winner for his family. He began making money reselling goods in Cebu, before scaling up to selling to a larger market in Manila.

His business career formally took off when he started Amasia Trading, he imported various good from the United States, then reselling it in the Philippines. Due to low margins and various risks in his business model, Gokongwei began looking to manufacturing.

What begun as manufacturing corn products grew into Universal Robina Corporation. The corporation quickly grew through a series of mergers and acquisitions to what it is today. In 1990, JG Summit Holdings was incorporated, this became the parent corporation of Gokongweis empire.

To this day, companies under the JG Summit Holdings banner are found throughout the Philippines. For example, most people will be familiar with Robinsons Land Corporation. They have a wide range of properties and developments across the country, their malls, condominiums, commercial buildings, and residential subdivisions are found within most major cities of the Philippines.

Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee Foods Corporation

One of the most famous entrepreneurs in the Philippines is Tony Tan Caktiong. He served as chairman and CEO of the monumental Jollibee Foods Corporation from 1975 to 2009 when he stepped down to focus on other areas of his business.

The man behind Jollibee Foods Corporation is one of the country’s most successful businessmen and has been dubbed “a legend in his own time” by Forbes Magazine.

He is responsible for some of the most iconic food institutions in the country – Mang Inasal, Chowking, Greenwich Pizza, Red Ribbon Bakeshop, Carlo’s Bakery, Highlands Coffee, and Manong Pepe’s, among others.

Caktiong eventually moved from the food business into property through his holding company, Honeystar Holdings Corporation. He made an initial investment in Injap Land Corporation, which was eventually renamed to DoubleDragon Properties Corporation.

What initially started out as an aspiration to start an ice cream parlour has grown into a brand that is one of the most popular in the country. It has also grown to over 2,500 stores in the Philippines as well as chains in the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, and the UK.

Socorro Ramos of National Book Store

Socorro Ramos had grown up with a background in both entrepreneurship, and working in a retail bookstore. Socorro had been working at the Ramos Goodwill Book Store with the Ramos family, who went on to open another store on Escolta Street.

The store was run by Jose Ramos, who also asked Socorro to help him. Eventually the pair ended up married, and continued to run the store together.

Running the store was not easy. During World War II during the Japanese occupation, there was strict censorship across Manila. The pair had no choice but to move to selling generic goods such as soap and sandals.

They also were left to rebuild the business from the ground up on several occasions. The store was burnt to the ground during the battle of Manila, when the Japanese were removed from the country. This was followed by an intense typhoon, which destroyed the store and all of its stock.

Despite this, the pair’s willingness to endure the hardship, and continue to stay the course, ensured their success. The business continued to grow as the pair begun to open up new stores, and make smart, strategic decisions with their operations.

Today, National Book Store has over 160 stores across the Philippines and continues to expand its reach worldwide through online shopping and publishing services that help authors publish their books.

Mariano Que of Mercury Drug

Mariano Que, was forced to be self-sufficient early in life. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Mariano was left as an orphan. Mariano had worked in the Pharmaceutical industry, and was aware of the need for Sulfiathiazole, which was seen as a “miracle” drug at the time.

Mariano went on to invest a small amount of money to buy the drug, and then sold it in single doses from a cart on the street. Mariano continued this until he had enough money to invest in his own store.

From that point on, Mercury Drug was created. The first store was formerly opened in 1945. At that time, there were very few pharmacies in the Philippines, and most people relied on traditional medicine for treatment.

Mariano’s first pharmacy was located at an old general store in Manila; he sold over-the-counter and prescription drugs. He continued offering quality products at a fair price up until the early 60s.

From the 60s, through to the 70s, Mercury Drug begun its rapid expansion. New chains begun to open, and the company begun acquiring other companies in the pharmaceutical, food, and medical equipment companies.

The Mercury Drug brand still has a strong presence across the country to this day. Although, it is in fierce competition with brands descending from two other entrepreneurs we have already mentioned. Watsons, created by the Sy family, and South Star Drug and The Generics Pharmacy created by the Gonkongwei empire are both fighting for market supremacy to this day.

Edgar “Injap” Jaruda Sia II of Mang Inasal

As mentioned, early Mang Inasal is currently operated under the Jollibee Foods Corporation banner, created by Tony Tan Caktiong. Though Mang Inasal was not started by Tony.

Injap Sia was the founder of the fast food chain Mang Inasal. Injap co-founded the chain in Iloilo city, and eventually grew the chain to 338 chains across the Philippines. This is when the business was bought out by Jollibee Foods Corporation in 2010.

He has ventured outside the food industry with another venture he entered into with Tony Tan Caktiong. Caktiong initially invested into Sia’s Injap Land Corporation, which then was renamed DoubleDragon Properties Corporation, in which Sia is working as the chairman.

Sia was initially studying to become an architect at University of San Agustin, he dropped this to pursue the food industry, a move which became life changing.

Dr. Alfredo Yao of Zest-O Corporation

Dr. Alfredo Yao is the founder of Zest-O Corporation, the country’s leading manufacturer of powdered drink mixes. Like many of the other entrepreneurs, Dr. Yao was put into a position early in life where he was left to have to fend for his family.

Yao started the Solemar Commercial Press after becoming aware of the Doy Packaging Technique. From then, he began marketing his services to various companies, including several juice companies.

Due to a lack of interest, Yao felt a wave of motivation to create a juice company using his knowledge of packaging to increase its appeal. The bright, saturated colours of Zest-O made it an instant success. Children loved finding the colourful fruit juices, and the convient compact packaging made it easy for parents to pack.

He remains active in business affairs as he serves as chairman emeritus at Zest-O Corporation, which has grown into one of the Philippines’ most prominent companies with over 20 subsidiaries across Asia and Europe.

Cecilio Kwok Pedro of Lamoiyan Corporation

Cecilio Kwok Pedro is the founder and chairman of Lamoiyan Corporation. Pedro, a Chinese Filipino, spent his early years setting himself up for entrepreneurial success.  He graduated from Ateneo de Manila University and earned a degree in Business Management. He then received an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Technological Management from Technological University of the Philippines.

Pedro’s initial venture was into supplying aluminium toothpaste containers to Colgate-Palmolive and Philippine Refining Company. His company Aluminum Container’s Inc was in business from 1978 to 1985, demand dropped off when toothpaste business decided to pivot from aluminium containers to plastic.

Pedro continued to do what he knew, and produced toothpaste containers, while partnering with a Japanese company to produce their own toothpaste. This was the beginning of Lamoiyan Corporation. Pedro then began marketing a brand of toothpaste to children, including Sesame Street characters on the packaging, while offering the toothpaste in various fruity flavours.

Lamoiyan Corporation begun a steady period of growth creating products like Dazz dishwashing paste and liquids, Tenderly fabric enhancer, Fash detergent, Fresher feminine wash and Gumtech, a special gum-formula toothpaste.

Robert Coyiuto Jr. of Coyiuto Group of Companies

Robert Coyiuto Jr. is a FIlipino billionaire who has influence over many areas of Philippine society. Though, a large portion of his wealth would have come from his stake in the countries’ electricity grid.

Coyiuto holds a 30% stake in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. The Corporation engages in the expansion, operation, and maintenance of the country’s electricity transmission network. Coyiuto also holds a stake in the publicly listed Oriental Petroleum and Minerals Corporation in partnership with John Gokongwei Jr. This is a local exploration and production company engaged in upstream petroleum activities.

Coyiuto was also responsible for bringing supercars to the Philippines. He created PGA cars who are now a supplier of luxury cars, they have partnered with various brands including Porsche, Lamborghini, and Bentley.

So what can we take from this?

I hope you learned something new about these entrepreneurs and their businesses. I also hope that this list will inspire more people to start their businesses and become successful like them.

We’ve looked at some of the countries traditional entrepreneurs, if you know of some up-and-coming business personalities, feel free to let us know in the comments!

History

When Canadian trash lead to a diplomatic fallout with the Philippines

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The Philippines waste dispute started as an all too common act of negligent business. A Canadian recycling company, Chronic Plastics Inc. had shipped 103 shipping containers from Vancouver to the Philippines. The shipping containers were labelled as containing recyclable plastic. This was not the case, on inspection they were found to contain common household waste.

The company had declared the containers to contain recyclable plastic. Though, the Bureau of Customs found them to contain common household waste. Customs were notified by the Department of Natural Resources. The shipment violated the Administrative Order 2013-22. “No importation of heterogeneous and unsorted plastic materials shall be allowed;” and “all plastics shall have no traces of toxic materials.”

Filipinos mobilized as the Philippines waste dispute gained public attention. Different advocacy groups were out in force, standing up against organizations dumping waste within Philippine territory.

Did Chronic Plastics dumping of waste violate the Basel Convention?

The Basel convention is in place to control the movement and disposal of hazardous waste across national boundaries throughout the world. The treaty stipulates that if the receiving company does not accept the material, the exporting company must take back the material. As the Philippines and Canada are signatories, this treaty comes into play.

The Basel  Convention became necessary to curb the exploitation of lesser developed countries. First world countries were using these nations as dumping grounds for waste and hazardous material. 

This was illustrated by a relationship between Italy and a small fishing village in Nigeria called Koko. In the 80s, Italy was only able to process a small portion of the toxic waste it was producing. Two Italian firms realized they could pay Koko residents to store the Italian waste on their properties for a small rental fee.

Nigerian students in Italy became aware of this scheme, and alerted authorities. This amongst other incidents of a similar lead to the formation of the Basel Convention.

Canada’s lack of engagement

At first, the Canadian government did not feel obliged to be involved with the issue. They maintained that the waste shipped by Chronic Plastics was not hazardous, therefore they did not need to facilitate its return.

By this stage of the dispute, 26 of the containers had been transported to Capas, Tarlac, a province found to the north of Manila. Though in 2016, there was a major development where a Philippine court ruled the garbage should be turned to Canada. By that time, Canada had enacted new environmental laws which require companies like Chronic Plastics to retrieve the disputed waste.

Trudeau and Duterte maintained a turbulent relationship after Trudeau confronted Duterte about human rights abuses.

The diplomatic face off between Trudeau and Duterte

During a 2017 summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the issue. He spoke of how Canadian law had prevented them from accepting the rubbish, though they were working on finding solutions for the  issue. The two nations had yet to settle on who held financial responsibility, as the issue had  arisen due to the actions of Chronic Plastics, a private entity.

But the Philippine Government was losing their patience. By that point in time, the cost of storing the waste had topped approximately 36 millions pesos. The relationship between Justin Trudeau, and Rodrigo Duterte was already under stress. Trudeau had been a vocal critic of Dutertes “War on drugs”. This had left many thousands of Filipino’s dead, with the victims being accused of being a part of the countries drug trade.

Duterte snapped at the Canadian government, claiming they were denigrating Filipinos. He stated that if the trash was not removed from the country within a week, he would declare war on Canada. The Canadian ambassador to the Philippines responded to the comment, again stating that the Canadian Government were in the process of resolving the issue.

The deadline was not met.

Duterte went on to set another, May 15, 2019. The secretary of foreign affairs, Teodoro Locsin Jr. joined in with the threats, stating “the President expects the garbage to be seaborne by May 15, that expectation will be met or else”. 

Global Affairs Canada is the department of the Government of Canada that manages Canada’s diplomatic and consular relations. The department announced they had made a formal offer to retrieve the trash. They were in the process of working with the Philippines to work out the details of the project.

The Philippines shipped 69 containers of garbage back to Canada, signalling an end to the 6-year dispute.

A resolution to the Philippines-Canada waste dispute?

The Canadian began to make some moves towards resolving the issue. The French shipping company, Bollore Logistics Canada, was awarded the contract to ship out the waste from the Philippines before the end of June 2019.

On May 30, 2019, the waste dispute came to an end. At the Subic Bay Special Economic and Freeport Zone, the remaining 69 containers of trash were loaded onto the container ship MV Bavaria. The ship would be making a 20-day journey to the Canadian city of Vancouver via Taiwan, this would come at a cost of US$840,000

The containers were transferred to the Anna Maersk while in Taiwan, from there the containers of trash were to arrive in Canada by the end of June 2019. Environment and Climate Change Canada, the government department  responsible for coordinating environmental policies, announced the trash would end up at the Vancouver waste to energy plant.

Duterte had gone as far as enacting a five-day ban on conducting business with Canadian officials, and enacting a travel ban to Canada. The Philippines Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea announced the lifting of these bans once the 69 containers of Chronic Plastics’ trash had arrived at the Roberts Bank Superport in Delta, British Columbia.

The Philippines dispute with Canada is one of many

In 2017 China banned the import of plastic waste, this was due to the trade war, though they also stated the majority of plastic was too dirty to recycle anyway. This ban caused the plastics to be diverted to South-East Asian nations. With over 50% of US plastic waste now ending up in Malaysia.

Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad quickly stood up against the issue. He called out the propensity for wealthier nations to send their waste to poorer countries. Malaysia became another nation to follow the trend of returning the trash back. 

Click here to read more about the vibrant history of the Philippines!

 

History

The Bojinka Plot : An extremist terrorist plot brewing in the streets of Manila

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When you first encounter the Bojinka plot, it may feel as if you’re reading the synopsis of a  90s B-Grade action movie. The event takes place in an exotic location, with an assassination attempt planned for a high profile target in the bustling streets of Manila.

The Bojinka plot, planned by Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is composed of three parts. Beginning with the assassination of Pope John Paul II. They then planned to blow up 11 planes en route from Asia to the United States, which had the potential to kill thousands of passengers while also halting international air travel. They then planned to crash a plane into the headquarters of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Today, we will take a closer look at how a small lapse in judgement potentially saved thousands of lives. The event being so large and sinister in scale, it is said to have been the precursor to the 9/11 acts of terror.

Pope John Paul II was actually a secondary target of the conspirators. Bill CLinton was scheduled to stop over in Manila en route to Indonesia. Due to the degree of security surrounding the President, Youseff abandoned the idea.

To assassinate a Pope in Manila

The Bojinka plot was a complex plan that encompassed three key elements. The first to take place was an assassination attempt, the target being Pope John Paul II. It would take place during his visit to the Philippines for World Youth Day festivities in 1995.

Due to the ethnic, and cultural make up of the nation, the Pope’s visit to the Philippines was always going to be sensitive. The majority of the Philippines is a staunchly Catholic nation, but despite this, it is still home to a sizeable Muslim population. The country does have a long history of terrorism, which makes the visit seem like a potential flash point which may lead to a broader conflagration.

A suicide bomber dressed as a priest was to detonate a suicide vestment as Pope John Paul II drove by in his motorcade to the San Carlos Seminary in Makati. The assassin’s objective was to get as near to the Pope as possible before detonating the device.

The planned killing of Pope John Paul II was meant to draw attention away from the next step of the operation. Due to this, a lot was riding on this part of the plot coming to fruition. Before January 1995, Yousef went to the extent of training 20 guys to carry out this heinous deed.

Yousef had been receiving funding for these operations from numerous terrorist cells. Several of these men would receive the money through their partners, who were Manila locals. The money was sent through many small transactions to avoid raising suspicion.

During this time both Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had been testing airport security in the region to begin the next phase of their attack. The pair were searching for vulnerabilities by pushing the limit of what they could get past security check points.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed actively assisted his nephew Ramzi Youseff in their exploitation of airport security. They eventually found vulnerabilities which lead to explosives being planted on the flight PAL 434.

The blueprint to 9/11: A plot to bring down an airliner

Abdul Hakim Murad and Ramzi Yousefm a fellow conspirator, were booked into room 603 of the Doña Josefa Apartments on December 8. Yousef mistakenly put his real name on the form during the check-in process, so the duo had to ask for new forms.

The manager of the apartments, Edith Guerrera, laughed and said that perhaps they were unsure of their names. This one is just one of the many incidents that caused the manager to become suspicious of the pair.

These apartments, in Malate, are 660 feet (0.2 km) from the Holy See’s Philippines diplomatic station and 1,600 feet (0.49 km) away from Manila Police, which is located across the street from the Apostolic Nunciature.

Room 603 has a window which faces down the road the Papal procession was supposed to follow. The pair managed to carry out some test bombings. Yousef carried out a test of his bomb in a Cebu City mall.

According to witnesses, the device detonated long after he placed it inside the generator room. It only did slight damage, but it demonstrated to Yousef that his bomb was capable of being deployed.

Yousef had also been responsible for a bomb detonating on Philippine Airlines flight 434, killing a Japanese passenger on board, and injuring others. These were dangerous men who had every intention of creating chaos with their plans.

Yousef and Murad would experiment with different chemical combinations in their flat using a cooking pot. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the compounds they used were liable to explode, fire, or create toxic vapours if misused.

The inevitable finally happened, the pair set fire to their apartment.

Aida Fariscal was told by officers that a fire in the area was just due to a couple of Pakistanis playing with fireworks. The Pope was soon to arrive in the city, so she was not ready to take any chances. Her inclination to follow her gut possibly saved thousands of lives as a result.

This incident occurred at about 10:40 p.m. on January 6, according to the police reports. The entire batch of chemicals the pair were working with ignited, with a subsequent fire spreading within the room.

The two men escaped along the corridor, but as they did so, smoke began to stream into the hall, raising the suspicions of the security guards on duty in the complex. One of the security guards, called Mariano, burst into the room to investigate, his eyes stinging from the smells.

When he went outside to try to apprehend the two guys, he discovered that the conspirators had vanished.

Meanwhile, a police station down the street, had received a call reporting a fire alarm and smoke coming from the top floor. The watch commander looked down the street to see if there was any sign of the blaze. Nothing looked out of place, but she still went ahead and sent an officer to investigate. 

The officer returned to report the issue was simply a couple of Pakistanis playing with firecrackers. The commander didn’t buy it. The Pope was scheduled to visit Manila, so security was a high priority. Anything out of the ordinary needed attention, so the Commander went to investigate for herself.

On arrival to the Dona Josefa apartment building, the commander received an update from one of the doormen. He mentioned the occupants of the room containing the fire had fled the scene.

The commander went to observe the scene of the fire. The apartment was full of empty chemical containers, and different electrical components. It resembled the scenes of an action movie, the room was just too dangerous, so the group was ordered to return to the lobby.

Ramzi Youseff boarded PAL434, he assembled a bomb in the bathroom, and then placed it under his seat. Youseff then left the plane once it landed in Cebu. Later when the plane was en route to Tokyo, the bomb was detonated.

Bojinka Plot unravels: The downfall of Abdul Hakim Murad

Yousef realised he had forgotten to take his precious laptop from the building. This laptop contained all the plans and details for their Bojinka plot.

Meanwhile, the local police commander had been carrying out her inspection of the scene with her colleagues. 

Yousef managed to persuade Murad to return to retrieve it, while he waited outside the apartment. Instead, Murad was arrested immediately on return to the apartment. He had been recognised as an occupant of the room by one of the doormen.

The entire burnt-out flat was scraped for evidence, including seizure of the laptop. The room was full of bomb making equipment along with an assortment of chemicals used in the process. On top of this there was a manual written in Arabic on how to make liquid bombs.

The Manila police, while analysing the seized laptop, discovered many of Yousefs shady manuals and files. Along with several of his identities and the dreaded Bojinka blueprint, which led to his arrest. The reason such an intelligent individual as Yousef would make the mistake of not appropriately encrypting his laptop remains a mystery – but there you have it: a sinister scheme found by chance.

The World Trade Center south tower burst into flames after being struck by hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 as the north tower burns following an earlier attack. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was a principal architect of the September 11 attacks, which followed his work on the Bojinka Plot.

Phase 2 – The bombing of multiple airliners

The pairs bombing campaign against the Pope had really been intended to conceal the second part of their mission. As a result of the information contained on the laptop seized in the Manila residence, this would never come to fruition.

There were at least five terrorists involved in the second phase of the attack, including Yousef, Murad, Shah, and two other unidentified individuals. They were to plant bombs on 11 United States-bound planes that made stopovers in various locations around East Asia and Southeast Asia.

Each flight would make a stopover where the terrorists would disembark, having already set the bombs during the subsequent flight. The planes would then blow up over the Pacific once the flight disembarks on the next leg of their journey.

If this plot had been successful, it would have resulted in the deaths of many thousand people and the cessation of air travel around the world.

If the scheme had been carried out, the United States authorities believed that 4,000 people would have died. Compare this to the 3,000 people killed in the United States during the September 11 attacks.

Ramzi Youseff was also involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. His intention was to destroy the foundation of one building, which would then cause it to knock down the second WTC building. All though this plan failed, the blast still killed 6 civilians and injured another 1,042.

Phase 3 – To fly a plane into the CIA Headquarters.

The third and last phase of the conspiracy was revealed by Abdul Hakim Murad when he was under investigation by the Philippine National Police. Phase 3 was an aerial attack.

Murad planned on either renting, purchasing, or hijacking a small aeroplane. The plane would be stuffed with bombs, of course. He would then crash it into the Central
Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in the Langley district of Fairfax County, Virginia, killing everyone onboard. As a pilot, Murad had completed his training in North Carolina he was intent on becoming a suicide pilot.

According to journalists Marites Daguilan Vitug and Glenda M. Gloria, when Murad refused to speak during the interrogation, agents struck him with a chair and a club made of wood until he gave in.

They shoved water into his mouth using force while smashing out lit cigarettes on his testicles. Murad’s ribs had been thoroughly fractured and broken. The fact that he had lived astonished the agents. As reported by an investigator, he ultimately confessed after
being threatened by a Mossad operative who pretended to be an Israeli intelligence agent and informed him of his imminent deportation to Israel.

In April 1995, the Philippines conveyed information about the Bojinka plan to the United States of America. A 23-day manhunt ended with Yousef’s capture in the Su-Casa guest house in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 7, 1995.

Following a successful raid. In December 1995, Wali Khan Amin Shah, the financier of the operation, was apprehended in Malaysia. From there he was extradited to the United States.

As a result of their involvement in the scheme, all three conspirators were sentenced to life in prison. In addition to his life sentence for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Yousef was sentenced to 240 years in prison for the attack.

It was decided that Yousef would be punished on January 8, 1998, and that Murad would be sentenced on May 16, 1998. Since August 1998, Shah has cooperated with the government on several projects, and was released in 2021. ALthough he was classed as a stateless person, so he has been indefintely detined while awaiting the deportation process..

When you review this plot, you can see that the world had a narrow escape. The planned events would have been the most devastating terrorist attack in history. Had the fire not broken out in the Manila apartment, and caught the attention of the watch commander Aida Fariscal, the plot would have gone ahead as planned.

The intuition of Aida lead to thousands of lives being saved, despite her heroic action she continued to live a humble life there in the capital of the Philippines.

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History

The strange case of the missing Chiong sisters

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The Chiong sisters case has been trending in the Philippines’ mainstream media for over 24 years. The case involves the murder of two sisters, which until now remains shrouded in mystery. Two years after the case was opened, seven young men were convicted of the crime.

Although, some things still do not add up.

Over the years, there has been substantial evidence suggesting these men were – or at least one – was not involved. On the other hand, the Chiong family still fights hard for the convicts to remain in prison.

So what happened to the Chiong sisters? Who were the people involved in the crime? Were the steps taken by the justice system justified?

Today, we will give you a brief overview of the Chiong sisters’ case and update you on the current situation. We will also discuss some controversies within the justice system and the families involved in the case.

Cebu City, a humble city found in the Visayas region of the Philippines, became the scene of a crime that would grip the nation

The story of the missing Chiong sisters: Marijoy and Jacqueline

It all started as an ordinary police report regarding Marijoy Chiong, who was 21 years old, and Jacqueline Chiong, who was 23. The Filipino-Chinese sisters were missing. Marijoy had arranged to meet Jacqueline after her shift at a local internet café, the pair were to then hang out at the Ayala Mall in Cebu City. The rest of the family were expecting them to be home by 10pm, but they never returned.

A campaign had begun to find the missing pair. Though, due to their age, the police did not at first take it seriously. It isn’t uncommon for people in their early twenties to be away from home for several days.

But, this case took a turn for the worse when a body was found

The police were contacted by Rudy Lasaga a local of Carcar City. He had found Marijoy’s body at the bottom of a ravine. The body was later taken for autopsy, only to find that Marijoy was gang-raped, and was believed to have still been alive before she was thrown to her death down into the ravine.

However, the body of Jacqueline was never found, even up until this date. The two sisters were last seen on the 16th of July 1997 which people believe is the same day that the sisters were murdered.

Sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong had their lives cut short. The sisters had planned to stay out at the mall one night but never returned. The incident has been shrouded in controversy ever since.

Suspects emerge

Despite little to no evidence, suspects for the case began to emerge. 

This is where one of the key characters in the case comes into play, Pablo Labra II.

Although he was not the chief investigator for the case, he was tasked to look into the case. At the time, Libra was under intense scrutiny from the media and public to find who was responsible for the crime, so he began looking into police records.

Labra developed a list of suspects to be presented to the NBI. He eventually compiled a list of suspects, which he both presented to the NBI, and went onto investigate himself.

The prominent suspect, who gained the medias attention was Francisco Juan Larranaga who goes by the moniker “Paco”. He was known to police due to some fights, one in particular was reported to the police in 1995. This was recorded in a NBI database, which is what would eventually be used to find plausible suspects in the Chiong sisters case.

Paco also had a complaint against him which parallels the Chiong sisters case.

Rochelle Virtucio, a first year high school student of the University of San Carlos-Girls High School made a formal complaint regarding Paco to the school principal. As she was leaving the school with other classmates, a black Honda Civic pulled up beside the group. An individual identified as Paco got out of the car and attempted to kidnap Rochelle, though was unsuccessful.

Having a previous accusation of attempting to kidnap a young woman was not a good look in a case where he hass again been accused of kidnapping. 

Francisco Juan “Paco” Larrañaga had forty-five witnesses including teachers and classmates testify that he was attending a culinary school in Manila during the time of the crime. This was dismissed due to the witnesses being perceived as friends of the accused.

Eventually seven young men were arrested and were set to face court as the accused of the kidnapping, rape, and disposal of Marijoy’s body. 

Paco continued as the face of the accused. His mother was a part of the Osmena family, one of the elite families in Cebu. Although his family was not wealthy, being a part of the Osmena family, as well as his past convictions, made the public perceive him as a rich thug.

Despite the negative attention, Paco was still an asset to the defence. He had the strongest alibi of the group, the defence wanted to present this to illustrate the extent of flaws that can be founded within the case.

This foolproof plan did not work, we will explain why later in the article.

Paco, and the rest of the group were charged with murder. The court then changed the verdict to a death sentence by lethal injection on the 3rd of February 2004. However, the Philippine government abolished that law in 2006, and the lives of the seven guys were spared.

The Scions of Cebu begin their sentence.

Despite the contradicting stories, the group continued to claim they did not formerly know each other until they began their sentences. 

Paco knew of Rowen Adlawan and Josman Aznar, but really had no connection to the pair. There were also the Uy brothers, James Andrew and James Anthony, then Ariel Balansag, Alberto ‘Pahak’ Caño and another local thug by the name of Davidson Rusia.

There had been an ongoing debate in court, newspapers, magazines, and the internet about whether the guys were innocent. Many believe that the justice system was unfair and corrupt, while others stood by the court’s decision that the guys should be imprisoned for life.

What do you believe?

Before you make your decision, let us first discuss the numerous inconsistencies surrounding the case.

Despite being a fformer gang member and convicted felon, Davidson Rusia was used as a state witness to testify against his fellow accused. The controversy continued when Davidson and Thelma Chiong began to see each other, even exchanging gifts despite Davidson making the claim of being involved with the abduction of her daughters.

The first major blow to the case came when one of the accused came forward and confessed to the crimes.

Davidson Rusia took the stand to outline the events leading to the death of the Chiong sisters. Rusia claimed that they snatched the sisters from outside the Ayala Center in Cebu. Forcing them into a car before driving away. He and the other six guys took the girls to a house, where they were raped. They then went and dumped the one body.

He spoke of how Jacqueline managed to break free from the group. But the men got back into the vehicle and begun following her, taunting her from inside the vehicle. The men eventually pulled her back inside, where Rowen beat her until she was unconscious. Later the group made their way back to Ayala Centre in Cebu where Rusia left the group, he claims because of this he did not know the where abouts of Jacqueline.

The Chiong Sister case has a strange turn of events

Rusia had accurately testified of where the body had been dumped, how the sisters had been restrained, and where the pair were abducted from. He also went as far as admitting he had joined in with the rape of the sisters, but did not take a part in the murder.

Despite his sickening recount of the events of that evening, the public still saw Rusia as a hero. He was even granted freedom while the rest of the six remained imprisoned.

Mrs. Chiong went as far as bringing gifts to Rusia after the testimony. Which seemed like a highly unusual gesture to some, as he had just admitted to being a part of the abduction, rape, and murder of her daughters.

Despite the unusual behaviour surrounding the case, many in the public maintained a positive view towards Rusia. Though, this was likely linked to many irrelevant factors. Rusia had lived in the United States, so he was very articulate, with a strong command of the English language. Many also found him attractive, which also began to sway public opinion.

Why did he come forward? Was it because the police offered him immunity, which allowed him to openly tell the story? Or was Rusia forced into his testimony due to some form of manipulation?

Many supporters of the convicted continued to point to inconsistencies in Rusia’s testimony. While Paco and Josman continued to maintain that they did not know Rusia prior to their conviction. It had come out that Rusia had a prior criminal conviction which should have eliminated him from being a witness in the case, but his testimony was upheld.

Rusia also admitted having been tortured by the police. Other detainees within the prison said they had witnessed his torture. But this still changed very little, as there were other witnesses who made statements backing parts of Rusia’s original testimony.

It was later revealed that all the witnesses used by the prosecution had been paid, which raises some very big question about the validity of the entire case.

Throughout the case, Francisco Juan “Paco” Larrañaga maintained his innocence. Despite this, and a plethora of evidence supporting his claim, he was still found guilty of the accusations.

Alternative theories continue to arise

The next theory will be based on the corrupt political landscape rife across Cebu at the time.

Dionisio Chiong was allegedly working for the controversial Cebu businessman Peter LIm, who has been repeatedly accused of being a prominent drug lord in the region.

Mr. Chiong had controlled many drug operations through Mr Lims trucking business, although Mr Chiong was fired from this position. Before the sisters went missing, Mr. Chiong was supposed to act as a witness in a drug case against his former employer. After the daughters went missing, he refused to witness against the unnamed drug lord. It was even alleged that the group of police who arrested Paco, were also employed by Peter Lim as bodyguards.

So, were Dionisio’s daughters’ lives used as a form of threat against him? Did this whole case stem from Peter Lim acting to maintain his freedom?

Some more extreme claims have been made that the sisters may still be alive. Social media detectives have allegedly found pictures of individuals who resemble the missing sisters, although these claims contain very little solid evidence.

The Judge presiding over the case, Martin Ocampo. He was found dead in the Waterfront Hotel, Lapu-Lapu. He was said to have been found with a suicide note saying he did not want to die of old age.

More holes found in the Chiong case

The family and lawyers of Paco could prove that he was in school taking a test on the 16th of July in Manilla. He didn’t travel back to Cebu until the 17th of July, arriving in the evening.

Some teachers and students were willing to take the stand as witnesses. There was even a picture of Paco with his friends going for drinks on the 16th of July, where his friend can confirm they stayed up the whole night drinking.

As mentioned earlier, the defence thought this was their key to freedom from the charges. Although, this confidence later proved to be futile.

In the Philippines, there is no jury. The judge decides the outcome of every case. Unfortunately, the strange behaviour continued with the Judge Martin Ocampo. This hindered this evidence, which favoured the case of the accused.

The Judge gave very little attention to case details, even dosing off at some points. He even went as answering question on behalf of Rusia when Rusia was being cross-examined. The judge, in this case, did not let the school witnesses take the stand, despite many of them being willing to testify in defence of Paco’s claims.

Mrs. Chiong also had power and awarded the policemen who sought justice for her daughter. Cheryl Jimenea, Mrs. Chiong’s sister, worked for, and was close to the president, Joseph Estrada. At this point, the President got involved and pushed for the case by adding more investigators.

More details of the key witness we spoke about earlier, Davidson Rusia began to emerge. This just added to the growing pile of shady behaviour surrounding the case.

Two years later, the judge issued the verdict that the seven boys were guilty and sentenced them to death. The six went to jail, but Rusia was set free.

Mrs. Chiong went ahead to fight for a death row seat, but it was not granted. The news reported that a hotel worker found the judge dead in his hotel room. The death was ruled a suicide. Years later, the justice system changed its verdict to sentence the boy to death row in February 2004. The Spanish government and the UN intervened after Paco’s family pleaded for their help.

The Philippine government abolished the death sentence in 2006. In October 2009, Paco was transferred to Spain to serve the rest of his sentence. He still applies for parole, but he will be 61 by the time he completes his sentence.

The other five were left to serve their sentences in the Philippines. Faeldon approved the parole of four of the guys, but he was later asked to step down by President Rodrigo Duterte. The Chiong family thanked the President, and the convicts were taken back to prison.

Now that you have the case summary, what are your views on the case? Do you think the guys were guilty, or did the justice system let them down?

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